.Northern Illinois stunned No. 5 Notre Dame final weekend break on a last-second basket to notch college football's first major upset of 2024. For the Huskies, it's a win they'll be commemorating for years to come. For the Combating Irish, it is actually a season-crusher. To lose the home opener to a tiny college coming from a significantly inferior conference was a humiliation for Notre Dame.Especially due to the fact that they paid NIU $1.4 million to carry out it.This beams an illumination on some of the lengthiest and very most costly practices in college soccer: promise video games. They're also called "funds activities," "payday activities," or, as I such as to contact all of them, "acquire full weeks." A costly (and high-risk) traditionFor years, in the initial handful of full weeks of the season, major college soccer institutions have actually spent smaller universities ahead to play all of them in their house.In Full week 1 alone, greater than $35 thousand was actually devoted all over a minimum of 55 guarantee activities, according to Front end Office Athletics. Alabama composed the greatest examination to its opponent, Western side Kentucky, for a whopping $1.9 million. WKU shed that activity 63-- 0, but they probably struck the bank on the bus trip home and also probably won't think twice about it.In Week 2, 3 colleges-- Western Michigan, Middle Tennessee, as well as Utah State-- obtained payments larger than NIU's $1.4 thousand. They lost by a consolidated rating of 156-- 3, yet they took home a total of $4.85 million in the process.It's usually a deal for both teams. The small institutions obtain an income, the huge institutions receive another home game to milk gameday income. The little college reaches play on the big phase and also receive national direct exposure, the huge one obtains a dish on the routine to begin the year in a sport without preseason. So all's properly as well as good till the lesser group makes a decision to reveal out as well as take the trouble.